A/N: I am so SORRY for only posting this now. I know, I know, I can't keep my promises properly lately but here it is. Just a little warning, there are some scenes in this chapter that are a little brutal so please read with caution. Well then, enjoy!

Akane squinted her eyes a little at the familiar sound of stretching string as she nocked an arrow to her bow. She focused all of her attention at the small wooden shack a couple of meters away from her and strained her ears for any suspicious sound that may come from the dense forest behind her. She flexed her fingers over the swell of her arrow and waited.

'Are you ready?'

She started a little as she felt warm air graze her cheeks and the shell of her ear. Souji was leaning close to her, his eyes also trained ahead. The two of them, together with Harada and Shinpachi, were currently bent low behind a low shrub at the side of the house. Their hiding place was not that big to fit all of them and they were all cramped together in awkward positions. Heat crawled to her face as she felt another rush of warm air fan her hair as he breathed beside her. Without removing her eyes from the structure, Akane nodded her head once.

'We need him alive.'

'Hai.'

It has been a week ever since that fateful night when she saw him waiting for her at the headquarters' porch. It was also the same amount of time that she realized her feelings for him. To say that the days that went by weren't easy would be an understatement. Well, at least for her. If possible, her realization made things even harder as she found herself struggling to rein her emotions every time she saw or even thought of him. Not that she could blame herself. It was her first time feeling that way after all. For Akane, the emotion was strange, unfamiliar, and scary. She spent the past few days trying to get accustomed to it like a man feeling in the darkness. She didn't know what to do next or how to deal with things.

There was only one thing that she was sure about her new predicament though.

Running away from him is fruitless.

And so she spent every waking hour dealing with him head on.

He never mentioned anything about her attempted escape to anyone. The morning after their conversation at the porch steps, he teased and annoyed her just like old times. As for her, she tried her best to match his playful antics with her usual infuriated responses. To anyone watching, nothing have changed between them. They were still the pair that got into each other's nerves even without trying. Of course she knew better though. Because once they were safe and away from the eyes of the others, the two of them fell into a comfortable silent connection much like the one they shared when they talked the night she chose to stay.

Akane briefly reviewed the events earlier that morning as she struggled to quell the frantic beating of her heart at his closeness. It was early morning and she was just heading out for breakfast when Gen-san suddenly told her that the vice-commander was asking for her at the meeting room. Confused, she headed straight to the chamber without any further question.

When she opened the door, she saw a bleary eyed Okita, Harada, and Shinpachi waiting inside. Only Hijikata seemed to be the one who was already in his senses. He was wearing an expression that she knew so well. It was the look he always have whenever he wants them to do something risky.

'I need you to go to Edo,' he said in a serious voice even before she can comfortably take her seat. 'We've received a report that one of the lieutenants of the Kageno Senshi Tachi have revived their base there and is continuing operations.'

All three captains suddenly perked up at the sound of the group's name. Akane merely stared at Hijikata, ice seeping through her veins. Fear immediately settled at the pit of her stomach at the same moment that scenes from the manor flashed before her eyes. From her peripheral vision, she also noticed Okita stiffen on his seat.

'We took care of their leader and benefactor. How is that possible?' he asked, his voice filled with deadly calm.

'It seemed like one of its high-ranking heads have taken control of the group and all its operations. According to our intelligence, they are planning to distribute the last batch of ochimizu sent there. It will be a huge problem for us if a rasetsu outbreak occurs in the province. We don't have much control over the place so we have to stop them as early as this time.'

'When do we need to go?' Harada asked, his face glum.

'Today.'

The four of them started on their seats.

'Now? Only the three of us?' Shinpachi interjected.

It took a while for Hijikata to answer. After a while, he looked at her direction.

'Akane, do you think you can go?'

She stared at her vice-commander in surprise. Ever since that night when she was rescued from Ayato's lair, he gave her lesser and lesser responsibilities and work load. Her patrols with her division decreased and her indoor training increased. Not that she can blame him though. He was probably having trust issues about her with the number of times she flagrantly broke his orders.

'What? No! Why does she have to go?' Shinpachi exclaimed and looked at her as if he just noticed her sitting beside them.

'We have a presumption that the man leading the group was the one she served back in the ochiya when she spied for us,' Hijikata said, addressing the men before looking at her once more. 'You are the only one who knows his face.'

Akane closed her slightly gaping mouth and swallowed. A determined look clouded her features and she balled her fists over her lap before giving one tight nod.

'Of course. I'll go.'

At the corner of her eye, she saw Souji turn his head towards her. She briefly looked at him and slightly started at the look on his face. He was staring with a disapproving look on his eyes and there was something on the set of his lips that told her he was trying his best to stop himself from saying something. She quickly withdrew her gaze away from him.

Hijikata's sharp eyes did not fail to notice the brief and silent exchange between the two. He studied the young man sitting across from him a bit longer before finally turning to the girl once more.

'In one condition though,' he said as a realization hit him. Akane looked at him, not even surprised at all. She must be already used to him always giving her a catch. Not that she always followed him anyway. The girl was as hardheaded as him when he was her age which, for him, was saying something. Still though, he needed to do something this time about the situation. Not only for her. But for Souji as well.

'You are not allowed to fight. You'll just go there to identify the man. In case a battle presents itself, do not try to intervene. Our reports suggest that the target is alone as he is trying to keep a low profile so it shouldn't be hard for you to get yourself away from trouble,' he stared straight into her eyes with the most serious, scariest look he can afford. 'Fail to follow this and you'll be dismissed.'

Akane swallowed and nodded her head numbly. He looked deadly serious this time around.

'Hai,' she bowed.

There was a brief silence before he spoke again. When he did, she felt her eyes widen in surprise at what he said.

'Souji, I'll put you in charge of her this time. She'll be your responsibility.'

Akane's head shot up and she whipped around towards Okita just in time to see him also look up at her with a bewildered expression on his face. He just stared at her for a couple of seconds, a mildly shocked expression gracing his features. Then, his lips broke into his usual smirk.

'That would be a bother, but fine. Can't have you do something stupid again, right kitten?' he winked, already fully recovered from his initial astonishment.

She blushed and quickly turned around to face Hijikata, her complaints already ready in her tongue.

'No arguments. You've failed to follow orders for quite some time now. Take this as your chance to prove yourself again,' he interjected even before she can speak.

Her words quickly died in her throat at his tone. Her shoulders fell in defeat and she sighed before nodding weakly.

'Hai, fukuchou.'

'Someone's coming.'

Akane was brought back to the present at the sound of Harada's low voice from her other side. Fully alert, she leaned closer towards the bush and squinted at the darkness. The house was as still as it was before and only the shifting ray of moonlight bathing its front yard showed any sign of life. All of a sudden, a slight movement from her far right suddenly caught her eyes. She immediately directed her bow at the direction and unconsciously held her breath. Beside her, she felt her companions stiffen in their positions.

After a few heartbeats, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees. He was wearing a long black coat with a hood that covered half of his face and he seemed to be holding a thin yellow roll of paper on his left hand. The person looked around to study his surroundings for a while as he tucked the parchment inside the pocket of his robe. Seeing that he is safe, he took quick steps towards the wooden shack. He slowly lowered his hood when he finally reached the spot bathed with a sliver of moonlight.

Akane's eyes narrowed.

'That's him,' she said, barely loud enough to be heard by the men beside her. The three looked at each other and exchanged nods. Beyond them, the man finally went inside the house.

'I'll take the left,' Harada murmured.

'I'll cover the right,' Shinpachi whispered.

'I'll stay here.'

She looked up in surprise at Okita's answer. He had on an intense expression that he only wears while on a mission. Her forehead creased a little in confusion as she tried to figure him out. He never seemed to be the type to stay back and take watch during an attack.

Souji seemed to have felt her eyes on him and he looked down on her. She raised her eyebrows at him in silent question but he merely answered with a brief shrug of his shoulders before looking away again. If she didn't know him enough, she would have thought that he's trying to avoid her eyes. But that's impossible.

He's Okita Souji after all. He never avoids anything, she silently thought. Right. He's probably just anxious that I'll do something stupid again. After all, he might also lose a head when I don't follow orders since Hijikata put me under his responsibility.

But really? Can't the man trust me?

'I'll watch the entrance then,' she said. All three captains turned to look at her at once, causing her to stiffen slightly. She sighed. 'From afar,' she finally conceded.

Harada briefly patted her head before turning towards Shinpachi. The two exchanged a quick look before disappearing in the darkness.

'How are we going to do this?' she finally asked the boy beside her in a soft whisper a minute after the two captains left.

'We can't fight him inside the house. It's too small. Our movements will be limited,' Okita said, his eyes still trained beyond.

'So we make him go out?'

'Yes.'

'How?'

He briefly looked at her before winking.

'Why don't you ask yourself?'

Akane blinked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then, it finally hit her. Her eyes fell on the bow and arrow in her hands and she grinned. She raised the weapon again and stretched the string.

'Aim for the window,' he whispered beside her.

'As you wish, captain,' she murmured back and mentally counted for a few seconds before finally letting go. The string made a dull sound as she released it, the arrow whizzing straight into the window. She watched as it zipped between two strips of wood which barricaded the casement before finally disappearing inside the house.

She counted the seconds. On her seventh, she finally heard a clattering from inside. She knew there was no other exit that can lead outside from their brief investigation of the place earlier. He has no choice but to use the sole escape route available: the front door.

It wasn't long before the man finally came outside, his eyes wild. He was barely able to make a few steps out the door though when Harada and Shinpachi suddenly leaped from their shadowed hiding places and strangled him. In a fast blur of limbs, the captains were able to pin him face first into the ground. The man started cursing and struggling against the pair's grasps immediately but to no avail. From their position, Okita motioned at her before finally standing up from his crouch and walking towards the clearing. She followed him immediately.

Akane saw the eyes of the man bulge in surprise as he recognized her. She tried her best keeping her face impassive and stared blankly at him.

'I have back-up. I swear they'll kill you easily!' he grunted out, his face already red from both anger and exhaustion as he continued to struggle. Souji gave a brief laugh and supported the blunt edge of his sword over his shoulder.

'Really? With all the noise you are doing you'd think they should have come already,' he drawled.

'Where is the ochimizu?' Harada, who had the man's arm twisted behind his back hissed.

'I don't know!'

'Is it inside the house?' Shinpachi asked as if he never heard the first answer.

'I told you I don't know!'

Akane tried to hold back a wince as Harada twisted the arm he was holding higher over the captive's back. The man's voice rose into a shrill scream. Just when she thought he will finally break his bones, the red-haired captain stopped.

'Come on, we're not going to kill you,' Shinpachi said as he steadied his hold on the man's neck from behind. Akane knew that from that position, he can easily kill the man with just a flick of his wrist. The latter whimpered and mumbled a few more garbled phrases as he felt more pressure from the ones holding him. She didn't understand him but she caught words like 'never', 'dead', and 'fools'. When it seemed like he was not planning on saying anything with any plausible sense, Akane heard Okita give a weary sigh. He stepped forward and crouched in front of their captive.

'We can't guarantee though that you won't be in pain if you don't tell us anything,' he said in a voice that made goosebumps crawl all over her skin. He looked deadly under the light of the moon with his eyes as cold as ice. Below him, the man made a soft whimper as he touched the end of his sword near his throat.

'Again, where is the ochimizu? We know you didn't distribute them yet.'

'I-I don't know…' sweat trickled from the captive's face and fell in large drops to the ground. The blade of the sword held against his chin pushed deeper into his skin and a thin trail of blood flowed from the shallow cut.

'You know we can do this all night, right?' Souji asked in a neutral voice as he slowly dug the blade more. The man stopped struggling out of fear of lodging the sword deeper. He was shaking and he set his jaw to bite back a scream. Akane swallowed as the blade continued its slow advance. More and more blood is now pooling to the ground and the man looked ready to faint. From above the captive, Harada and Shinpachi exchanged a tense look. Hijikata pointed out that he wanted the man alive. If Okita continues, they will end up killing him. If they stop though, it'll be a sign of weakness for them. And they can't let the captive see how important his capture is.

Akane tightened her grasp around the wooden bow and gritted her teeth. Anytime now and she knew the blade will finally hit a major vein that will end up killing their hostage. Her heart started pounding heavily against her chest and her palms had gone sweaty. Beside her, Okita remained calm, his expression still stoic as he continued pushing the sharp point of his weapon.

Five seconds passed.

Seven.

Nine.

Twelve.

'Stop! It's in the house! At the crate by the sink! All the bottles are there!'

Souji narrowed his eyes.

'How many bottles exactly?'

'A hundred and fifty!'

He quickly withdrew his sword and stood up.

'Akane, check the house and get the ochimizu. Make sure they're complete,' he told her without taking his eyes off the man who is now slightly gagging from the wound he received. She tried her best not to stare at the red stain on the soil and pushed down the queasy feeling that settled on the pit of her stomach as she continued hearing the gurgling noises. Not wanting to see another second of the scene, she nodded at the boy beside her and dashed inside the house.

She found what she was looking for at the far back of the space below the sink, hidden behind a couple of other empty boxes containing what seemed to be ceramic bowls and a few preserved packs of food. She peered at the small nook, willing her eyes to finally adjust to the darkness before reaching out inside. She was able to produce three medium sized wooden crates filled with hay and clear crystal bottles. She lifted one and held it to the ray of moonlight coming from the narrow space of the window. The red liquid glistened under the light like blood.

She slowly set down the box on the sink and started counting. From outside, she can hear the muffled, desperate grunts of the man as her companions continued questioning him. He sounded so terrified and helpless and she shivered involuntarily at the sound of his voice. In all her months with the Shinsengumi, this was the first time that she actually dealt with a human in a mission. All the other ones have involved rasetsus. She knew it's pointless and silly to still feel uncomfortable about such situations but she can't help the uneasiness crawling over her system like toxic fumes. It was just so different watching a real man bleed like that in front of her.

Akane bit her lip and willed herself to tune out the sounds that were coming from outside. The captains seemed to have moved on to interrogating the captive now. She can hear their low tones interspersed with more frantic replies from the man. Willing herself to concentrate, she focused on her counting and moved on to the second and third box. After recounting for a few more times, she lifted one crate up and moved towards the door. The boxes were filled to the brim and she took one careful step after the other to make sure she doesn't spill anything.

'I found three crates. There's 150 of the bottl—'

Her voice caught on her throat when she looked up to fully address her companions. For a moment, she thought she was suddenly thrust into a nightmare at what she was seeing. Then the gravity of the scene finally struck her and she lost her grip on the wooden box she was holding. The crate fell with a resounding crash to the ground, spilling and crushing the bottles inside it with a faintly musical sound. The red liquid stained the soil like blood.

In front of her, Souji looked up at the sound and stared at her. There was a cold light in his eyes that made her shiver. Then, he slowly pulled his sword from the man's body with a sickening squelch.

The red coming from the now limp body merged eerily with the red liquid pooling at her feet.

'Sano-san?'

'Hm?'

Silence.

'I'm sorry I dropped the box.'

Harada looked at the girl beside him in concern. Akane had been staring at the ground with a troubled expression on her face for almost over an hour now. He looked away before she even noticed him looking.

'It's okay. We are meant to throw the medicine away in the first place. You just made it a lot easier for us,' he said with a laugh, hoping to make the air lighter. Akane simply nodded, her eyes still trained at her feet. She has been internally berating herself for the past hour about the way she reacted earlier. She felt the red-haired captain's eyes on her but didn't dare look up.

'Sano-san,' she called out again.

'Yes?'

'Why…why did we get rid of him? I thought Hijikata-san said we need him alive.'

Harada did not immediately answer the question. Somehow, she felt as if he was counting on the chance that she wouldn't ask about it. They continued walking in silence for a while before she finally heard him sigh.

'He wasn't the man we were expecting him to be,' he said after a moment, causing her to look up at him in surprise. That was definitely not one of the answers she was expecting.

'What?'

'He just made it seem that he was one of the high-ranking officials of the group but he was really just a proxy for the real one who didn't make it to the meeting. The scur enjoyed playing the part of a man of position for once in his life and made you believe he is someone important,' Harada explained with a slightly frustrated frown on his face.

Akane's eyes widened at what she heard.

'What? You mean everything he told me was a lie?' she sputtered.

'No, no. All of those are facts. He was the attendant of the real lieutenant so he knows everything. He said Ayato didn't want the other faction they met that night to think that they weren't a solid group so he ordered him to take his master's place temporarily then.'

She stared at him open-mouthed.

'He said he was here because he was given orders to distribute the ochimizu by the one who took over the group.'

'Did he say who the new leader was?'

'No,' the tenth division captain said with a grim voice. 'He said he only communicated with him through letters and never saw his face even before. He was telling the truth. We found a parchment on his coat with the exact order from this secret lieutenant.'

'Unbelievable,' she whispered as she shook her head slowly. Here she was thinking she pulled a smart one on a man for once in her life but it turns out he was a con artist instead. Akane was in the middle of reviewing their conversation back in the ochiya when she suddenly remembered the real reason bothering her. She stilled for a moment before walking once more, feeling uneasy again.

'Is that why we got rid of him then?' she asked timidly before stealing a glance at the captain beside her. Sano suddenly looked at her at her question. He was looking as equally uncomfortable as her.

'Yes,' he answered after a while. 'There is no point keeping him around. He'll just suffer more if we took him back to the headquarters.'

'Mm…'

Harada looked at the girl a little worriedly. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and looked away after a while. Comforting women was usually her forte so why is he feeling entirely useless beside her now? Not knowing what to do anymore, he finally came to a decision: Drop sugar coating and go for the direct kill instead. She doesn't seem like the type who wants half-assed truths anyway, he thought.

'You see, Akane, it's part of our job. Souji did what I or Shinpachi would have done if we were the ones in his position tonight. Even before we had the problem with the rasetsus, we've been…taking care of our enemies that way. I know it may seem brutal but it's just the way it is,' he said.

Akane nodded her head slowly. 'I understand…I'm not questioning anything, Sano-san. It's just that, I hate the way I reacted. I should have been used to it by now, right? But no. I just stood there like an idiot and made a mess. I guess tonight was just different for me...' she said, frustration tainting her voice.

'Hm…so that's what's been troubling you?'

She nodded.

He mulled over things for a while before suddenly chuckling. Akane looked at him as if he had gone crazy. Here he was thinking that she was unsettled by what she saw earlier when all along she was just brooding and berating herself for not acting cool about the situation. He didn't know whether to be amazed or troubled.

'Don't worry, we've all been there. It's normal to feel that when you first see a life being taken away by another. Heisuke was just like you before. Even when he was already a member of the group. Believe it or not, it took him a while to finally settle things with himself.'

Akane stared at him in disbelief. Heisuke? The Heisuke Todou who was always having competitions with Shinpachi for the most number of kills?

'Really?'

'Uh-huh. That rascal, it took him forever to finally come around,' Harada laughed good-naturedly. 'But on another note, if it were up to me, I wouldn't want you doing anything close to that. You're a girl. Not that I'm looking down on you, but men tend to have this instinct of shielding women from any form of trouble. It's in our nature,' he winked at her.

Akane couldn't help but smile.

'Well I guess I grew up differently,' she said, her heart already feeling light.

'You did, didn't you? But seriously, you have to be easy on yourself sometimes. You're always pushing yourself.'

'You think so?'

'Yeah. I guess that's why Hijikata-san is so frustrated over you. You're much like him,' he said with a smirk on his face.

Akane laughed. The events earlier still dragged her a little but most of the weight has already left her chest. She did a mental note to make it up to her friend. Expect him to always know the right words to say at the right time. Deciding to shift her attention to other things, she now looked around her and drank in the surroundings. Edo. Old Tokyo. She was actually walking the streets of her real hometown. She didn't know if she should feel nostalgic or troubled at the strange twist of situation.

She was staring at a man selling location inspired trinkets when she suddenly realized something.

Why aren't we heading home yet?

'Sano-san? Where are we going?' she asked as she watched the people bustle around her. It was an hour or two till midnight but the road was still alive with peddlers and those looking for a nice place to drink and unwind.

'Oh, we're going drinking.'

She looked at him in confusion.

'Drinking? At this hour? But how are we going home?' she voiced out as a mental image of a groggy Harada and Shinpachi flashed in her mind. She definitely doesn't want to deal with that on their journey back.

Harada grinned at her before answering. 'We're staying the night here. Souji suggested it since it's late anyway. Plus, we didn't need to bring anyone with us so we'll just use all our free time enjoying ourselves. Good idea, don't you think?'

She only blinked at him in confusion. Finally, he wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently tugged her into the crowd. She gave a soft gasp as she tried to maintain her balance.

'Come on, Souji and Shinpachi are way ahead of us now. Every minute is precious. Oh, this is definitely going to be a great night,' he smirked at her before pulling her forward once more.

'No, I will not let you sleep with her, Shinpachi!'

'Come on, why don't we just settle this through stick picking? The one with the longest one gets to share a room with her.'

'Or why don't we just cram ourselves together in one room and let her keep the other one herself?'

'Have you seen the size of this room, Sano?! Oh yeah sure we can sleep here. If you are willing to have the three of us lie on top of each other!'

Akane winced as Harada and Shinpachi continued their shouting match. They were currently in a small room barely big enough for all of them especially with the height of the men with her. She was lodged between Souji and the wall, her arm directly pressed against his own. She can feel the heat coming from his body and the rising and falling of his chest. Akane felt herself blush and immediately chastised herself for becoming suddenly conscious despite of their current situation. Right now, what they needed was to find a solution to their problem.

'This is your fault for not doing the reservation properly!' Harada shouted at Shinpachi who was looking equally frustrated at his red-haired friend.

'It is not my fault that the people here made a mistake about the rooms!' the second division captain growled back defiantly.

'Then we share a room and let Akane have the other one. Either way, I will not let you sleep with her,' Harada hissed, his face only inches away from the other man.

'Who are you, her father?'

'No, I'm someone who doesn't want to sexually harass her every chance I get.'

'You really think I will do that to her?!' Shinpachi shouted back, his ears red. All of sudden, his eyes changed and he clapped his left fist to the palm of his right hand in realization. 'Aha! You just don't want me sleeping there because you want to be the one in that room,' he said with impish triumph.

She choked.

'What?!'

'Umm, do you want me to go out so you can talk about it?' Akane asked sheepishly, calling the attention of the two to remind them that she's in the room. The conversation was starting to go to topics she didn't want to hear about and she wanted to make a quick escape before that happens.

'No. You stay there. It's dangerous outside,' the pair said sternly at the same time before turning to each other once more.

'You can't share the room with her. You're the biggest among the three of us. Be reasonable, Sano.'

'If height is an issue, then why don't we just let Souji share it with her instead? Look at how thick your body is. You'll crush her!'

'I'm not thick, I'm muscular!'

At the mention of his name, Akane suddenly looked up at the man standing beside her. Okita, who hasn't said a word ever since the two started arguing, was currently watching the scene with a grim expression on his face. His hands were crossed across his chest and there was a muscle twitching at his jaw.

'Don't mind them. They're dunk. Take the room and go now while they're still distracted,' he suddenly muttered to her, his eyes still trained at his two companions. Akane immediately tore her eyes away from him consciously. He must have known she's been staring at him.

'How about you then?'

'We'll just make do with this room.'

'You can't fit all here,' she said, her eyes roaming the space which is only wide enough to accommodate one single bed and a standing Shinpachi and Harada who were still shouting at each other's faces. Okita ripped his eyes off the scene and gave her a grin that made her blink at him for a couple of times.

'I'll drag one of them to the kitchen if there's no other choice.'

She gaped at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and looked away.

'Oh…well, okay then. I'll be—I'll be there. In the room. Good night,' Akane mumbled incoherently before maneuvering her body towards the door. In the middle of her turn, her slipper caught the leg of the bed and she stumbled, falling straight to the direction of the wall. A small gasp escaped her lips and she braced herself, ready for the impact when she suddenly realized she hit a warm surface instead. She immediately opened her eyes at the feel of the strange barrier against her body. A man's chest clad in a reddish brown and gray kimono met her gaze. She lifted her eyes slowly and found herself staring at a slightly smirking Souji.

'Feeling comfortable down there?' he asked lightly.

She squeaked and jumped away from him in a flash. Her face was burning and she can almost hear her heart thudding in her chest.

'S-sorry,' she said in a voice more high-pitched than normal. She tried to bow in apology but only managed to bump her head against his chest instead. Akane winced in exasperation. Knowing that she'll embarrass herself even more if she tried doing anything else, she kept herself still for a couple of seconds before finally making her way carefully out of the room. Okita's body shook a little in silent laughter as he watched her tread the narrow space.

'G-goodnight,' she finally mumbled before she went out the door. Then, without waiting for his answer, she dashed outside as if the demons from the nine circles of hell were after her.

Souji looked at the spot she disappeared to and snickered to himself.

'Goodnight kitten.'

Two hours later, Akane found herself teetering at the edge of sleep in her room. Her body felt as heavy as lead due to the long walk they had earlier to Edo. She silently thanked Okita for getting the idea of just staying the night after all. She didn't know if she can make it to Kyoto without falling on her face if they tried to walk back home.

I sure hope they found a way to sleep comfortably tonight, she mused sleepily. That was her last thought before her eyelids fluttered shut and she finally gave in to her sleepiness.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock. Knock.

Akane suddenly opened her eyes again, fully alert once more. Who could be knocking at her room at this hour? She waited for the sound to come again just in case she was just dreaming about it. Sure enough, she heard another soft tap come from outside. She lithely got up from her bed and reached for her sword. Then she walked towards the door as silently as she could. When she reached it, she grasped the handle slowly and tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. She took a deep breath and braced herself.

She threw the door open with all the force she had.

And found herself gaping in shock at what she found.

There, standing in the threshold was a disheveled looking Okita. His hair was out of its usual style and was ruffled as if he just rolled out of bed. His reddish brown robe was gone and he was only wearing the gray one he usually wore under it, its sash very loosely tied around his waist. He looked a little frustrated and nervous at the same time.

'O-Okita-san?' she stuttered, her eyes wide.

Okita stared back at her for a couple of seconds. There was an abashed expression on his face that would have made her smile if not for their current situation. He opened his mouth to try to say something but immediately closed it soundlessly afterwards. His eyebrows knit together in agitation as he continued staring at her. Finally, his discomfort got the best of him and he looked away, scowling instead at the wall beside her door.

Akane found herself frowning in return. She was just about to ask him what he was doing when he suddenly turned his head towards her once more, now with a determined look on his face. He sighed, cleared his throat, and looked straight into her eyes.

'Can I sleep with you tonight?'